Police: Alcohol suspected in wrong-way crash on Woodward Avenue

Two motorists were hospitalized with serious injuries Wednesday evening after a crash on Woodward Avenue in Bloomfield Hills, police reported.

The crash occurred shortly before 6:30 p.m. in the northbound lanes just north of Lone Pine Road, the Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety reported in a statement.

Officers said it appeared a southbound vehicle in the northbound lanes first sideswiped one vehicle and struck another one head on. The driver of the southbound, or wrong way, vehicle is a 20-year-old Rochester Hills man, who is already facing one drunken driving charge in another jurisdiction, police said. He now could face another charge of operating while impaired, police said, as alcohol is suspected of being involved. A search warrant for a blood draw was obtained, and police are awaiting results.

The 20-year-old Rochester Hills man and another motorist were hospitalized. Neither injury is considered life threatening. Another motorist was treated at the scene for injuries.

The roadway — the northbound lanes of Woodward Avenue at the end of rush hour — was closed for more than an hour.

The motorist suspected of causing the crash was released from police custody pending results of the blood test.